NMGrif 🏳️‍🌈 (she/her)

@nmgrif.bsky.social

374 Followers 450 Following

Querying Writer. Queer. AuDHD. Vegan. Published author. Screencraft TV Pilot QF 2022. AFF 2nd Rounder 2019. Tea aficionado.

A list of science fiction magazines: James Gunn's Ad Astra, Jim Baen SciFi Memorial Contest, Amplitudes (Erehwon books), Uncanny Magazine, Zombies Need Brains - Brave New Worlds Anthology, Ares Magazine, Apex Magazine, Analog Science Fiction & Fact, Future Science Fiction Digest, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Clarkesworld Magazine, Asimov Magazine
Enid, a tuxedo cat, lying on a pink flowered blanket and pale green sheets over my legs.
Black and white cat looking out a window.
A scene from a fantasy novel that reads: Sorish turned out to be further away than Tessa anticipated. The heat slowly faded from the day as the sun passed lower on the horizon and a breeze picked up. The path they’d followed over uneven grasslands widened into a real road, which the horses seemed to appreciate. Both moons eventually rose to light the way, illuminating the bulk of the city crouching in the distance. Krin flicked up his hood as he looked at her and said, “You used to be better at this.” Tessa ignored the comment even though it stung. She hadn’t been in the area for well over ten years, but it wasn’t like her to misjudge distance even from a map. Those skills shouldn’t have gotten so rusty as to be unreliable, even a decade later. Maybe I got soft, staying in one place so long.
Pine needle branches touching a windshield seen from inside the car.
A white paper napkin with bright yellow stains on it.
Tuxedo kitty with green eyes, Lucy, on a blue sofa.
Screengrab of a spreadsheet with the header fields: Chapter, Chapter Count, Word Tally, POV, POV, Description, and Timeline. The fields filled in below the header read in order: 13, blank, 34602, Boots, Tessa, Someone takes exception to Charal Lys's existence after they secure boarding for the horses and starts a brawl. Bosun Alix shows up in the nick of time to even the odds and route the assholes. He gets stabbed for the trouble. "Cap'n's gonna kill me." When they get to the ship, Dawes is pissed with Eryn for sending Bosun into danger to, and Day 11.
A misty neighborhood view from a balcony
A desk with a laptop, monitor, felt Hulk, tiny keychain Hulk, ceramic TARDIS, 4th Doctor ornament still in the Hallmark box, a carved, gray, stylized cat figurine, a white plastic Pusheen-style cat, a rainbow tribble on a keychain with the "Gaaaayyys in Space / Live Long & Be Fabulous" logo, a pair of glasses, and a handful of colorful crystals.
Movie poster for They Will Kill You featuring a black woman holding an axe, a pentagram in the upper left corner, and other people holding weapons.
A brief scene from a fantasy novel that reads: Tessa cocked her head, curious. “And how do you know why we need to go?” Eryn half-smiled and said, “I’ve had visions of your group for the last month. Sometimes you’re on the WaveShadow and sometimes you’re taking a dingy to the island’s shore. I see…” her voice trailed off as she looked at something no one else could. “…the island is truly dead now. I saw no dragons, just a blackness hewn into rock and sand. Something evil happened there.” That does not sound good. Tessa was about to ask about passage when Eryn continued in a low, hollow voice… “Something’s coming to remake the world. Ruthless power stemming from unintended consequences sent forth a brokenhearted pawn of unknown destiny. The Rim of the World holds the key, but beware the tide of blood and ice.” Tessa knew words of prophecy when she heard them.
A written scene from a novel by Nancy M Griffis that says: Sam’s gaze returned to the thing just beyond the cell. Four feet tall, it had a fixed, childlike face, the kind on old plastic dolls. Every joint faced the wrong way, reminding Sam of a backwards child. As monsters went, it might have been benign except for gleaming black eyes that didn’t blink. That didn’t look like they could blink. Its mouth didn’t move as a child’s voice sing-songed into the space between them... A wreath of roses pretty and red, A scattering of thorns tossed in your bed. Dance and whirl upon his command, Twist and turn on feet and hand. Don’t just see, don’t just dread, Don’t look, don’t look, you’re already dead.
A six-image collage over a black background with the gray title of The Alt. Top left image is black & white of a person in the woods wearing an oversized bird skull mask. Middle top image is of a street in a small New England town. Top right image is grayscale of a woman with her head on her arms and the face of a creature looking over her shoulder. Bottom left image is an atmospheric black & white of trees in mist. Bottom middle image is a long road with a red farmhouse on one side and mist covering woodlands on the other. Bottom right image is a faceless, hooded figure on a black background.
15 second video of water falling from tree branches
Image of a packaged box of baking soda with the top torn unevenly open and a can of baking powder on a marble counter
Looking through a double glass door at a balcony covered in snow from inside an apartment. One of the windows is obscured by snow on the outside screen door.
A fight scene excerpt from an epic fantasy novel in progress of being written... It was only because her gaze was flickering forward that she spotted a sword shadow in motion. Tessa pulled her sword free in a single movement, bringing it up to clash against a broadsword on its way to lodge in Boots’s skull. The screech of metal on metal as she threw all her weight against the other weapon sent a cascade of sparks into the dark. Boots, bless her, immediately flung forward and rolled out of danger. Tessa found herself facing a woman in matching Woquan armor. Why the hell are they so far inside Corschell’s borders? “Apostate!” the woman hissed, sword thrusting straight at her. That explains that. Tessa spared no further thought as she blocked and spun out of the way. The quick circle showed Krin and Charal Lys dealing with two Woquan soldiers apiece as three more rushed from the darkness at Tessa. Fuck. A lifetime of training and war saved her. Her sword cut the air with such strength it whined with pain. She blocked and parried, blocked and thrust. Her feet remained in constant movement as she darted back and forth, weaving to present as brief a target as possible. Tessa didn’t feel the weight of her armor nor the small cuts her adversaries managed to inflict the few times they breached her defenses. Not at first.
A bowl of red vegetable curry with tofu
Picture of a blanket of clouds and street view below it.
Fluffy white clouds against a bright blue sky.
screengrab of the trending topics: Austin Shooting, Epstein Case, D.C., and Big Brother 27.
excerpt from a short story with all 'the' words highlighted
excerpt from horror novel sequel: Another pained cry made him stop, because it sounded like it came from a different direction. Tom frowned and turned slowly in a circle, suddenly not sure which way led back to the road. Then he realized he heard nothing except his own breathing; no birds, no animals, not even a breeze rustling leaves. He swallowed against a suddenly dry throat, fear clenching his stomach tight. The cry came again, much closer and behind him. Tom whirled around, gun aimed in that direction. Confusion ran through him when he saw himself standing motionless staring back at him. His free hand automatically made the sign against evil his grandmother had taught him followed by the Sign of the Cross and he backed up. The doppelgänger stepped forward a split second after. It didn’t blink or breathe. Its mouth opened to reveal needlelike fangs in place of teeth and it kept opening until it took up half its face. Tom fired three times, but the dull thud of bullets into its body didn’t move it back even an inch so he bolted in the opposite direction. He thrashed through the underbrush and ducked under branches, praying that he ran in the right direction.
Amazon ranking of a scifi anthology and the Kindle product details.
A pot hole ice puddle with unusual swirling pattern in it
Hardcover book image of Donyae Coles' novel "Midnight Rooms" depicting a mixed race black woman holding a fawn and a teacup surrounded by butterflies
Image of a typed page of text with many red pen edits